1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic programming guide (EPG) providing apparatus and method, and more particularly, to an EPG providing apparatus and method, in which an EPG is configured as a 3D form to facilitate a search for broadcasting program information included in the EPG.
2. Description of the Related Art
The utility of an electronic programming guide (EPG) becomes an increasing matter of concern in an environment where broadcasting services are provided over multiple channels through various media such as terrestrial waves, satellites, and cables. Users are generally provided with EPG information by manipulating a multimedia recording device such as a personal video recorder (PVR) that provides an EPG using a remote controller.
The EPG generally provides a broadcasting program list in the form of a two-dimensional (2D) lattice. The EPG in the 2D lattice form includes rows that show lists of broadcasting programs provided by different channels and columns that show lists of broadcasting programs provided at different broadcasting times. However, the EPG in the 2D lattice form has problems as follows. First, since broadcasting program information is displayed within a limited space, i.e., a single square cell, only a portion of the broadcasting program information can be displayed. Moreover, the size of the displayed characters should be reduced to display as much information as possible within the cell having a limited size, resulting in degradation of readability of the information.